This is why you never leave early: cheap tacos < 23-point comeback
- Red Cup Rebellion laments its decision to eat cheap Mexican food while Ole Miss was erasing Alabama's 23-point second half lead on its way to a 74-67 win. Roll Bama Roll, by the way, quotes Forest Gump about the whole thing: "That's all I have to say about that."
- Michigan State fell again in the Big Ten, this time 73-78 to Illinois. The Only Colors sifts through the very good to the very bad performances of the Spartans while Hail to the Orange hopes that the win signals a turning of the proverbial corner for the Illini.
- Duke Basketball Report finds an illustration of the value of Lance Thomas in the 66-63 win over Boston College.
- Tomahawk Nation examines just how thoroughly Florida State dominated the rest of the ACC in this year's recruiting rankings.
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2010 Tennessee Football Coaching Staff
Now that the Vols have rounded out their new coaching staff with the hiring of Chuck Smith, we thought we'd take a look at these guys collectively. Some of the assistant hires got a little lost in the shuffle of recruiting, but on the whole, this is a staff with a solid balance of NFL and SEC experience.
Much was made of the Kiffin Chimera, and while this staff will certainly be less talked about, our hope is that they can be just as efficient in both recruiting and coaching, and ultimately even more so...and that they'll all stick around long enough to realize the fruit of their labor.
While official announcements on specific position assignments haven't been made in all cases, Brent Hubbs at VolQuest gave what he felt to be the assignments on Friday night ($), and we'll be working with that information. For more details on each coach, check out the official individual releases from UTSports.com, from which the majority of this information comes.
The highlights of our ten coaches:
(RC is Recruiting Coordinator, ST is Special Teams, and previous experience does not include graduate assistant work)
Derek Dooley - Head Coach
- 2009: Head Coach, Louisiana Tech
- at Louisiana Tech (07-09): 17-20 overall, 8-5 in 2008 and won 2008 Independence Bowl (first LaTech bowl appearance since '01, first bowl win since '77)
- Previous coaching experience: SMU (WR 97-99), LSU (TE/RC 00-02, RB/ST 03-04), Miami Dolphins (TE 05-06), Louisiana Tech (HC 07-09)
- Coached on Nick Saban's staff at LSU that won 2 SEC Championships and the 2003 National Championship
- Son of Georgia legend Vince Dooley
Jim Chaney - Offensive Coordinator & Running Backs
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Defensive Vols prepare for brutal road trip
Talking Points for 2/8/10, with links and excerpts after the jump:
- The common denominator in wins against Florida, LSU, and South Carolina? Excellent defense resulting in very low shooting percentages for opponents.
- Wayne Chism will destroy you with his eyes closed if you try to defend him from behind. Expect opponents to do less of that in the future.
- Get ready for a really tough stretch of games, starting with games at Vandy and at Kentucky, sandwiching a game against the Georgia team that's beaten both us and the Commodores, and ending with games at South Carolina and at Florida.
- No news on Cam Tatum yet.
- The more we learn about the Vols' new coaching staff, the more there is to like.
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The Super Bowl on SB Nation

Happy Super Bowl Sunday, y'all. Whether you're rooting for Peyton Manning and the Colts or going with the numbers in Robert Meachem, Jabari Greer, and Marvin Mitchell and the Saints, SB Nation's got you covered.
For the Colts' perspective, head over to Stampede Blue, and for the New Orleans fan bias, check out Canal Street Chronicles. If you're just interested in the game or the commercials, SB Nation is the place to be, as they have the super story stream. SB Nation has three guys credentialed, including guys from both team blogs and a guy from the mothership.
A few links of note:
- Statistical preview of the game, from Stampede Blue, in three parts
- BigBlueShoe's interview with Peter King, in two parts
- SB Nation's gigantenormongous Super Bowl open thread, for as many communities it can handle before it blows up.
- And finally, SBN's Super Bowl event page that ties everything up into a nice, pretty package.
So have at it, folks. The Super Bowl could really use some viewers.
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SEC Basketball Power Poll - Midseason Ballot & Roundtable

With every SEC team having played eight games, we submit our midseason SEC Power Poll and take part in the roundtable discussion with our other voters. Garnet and Black Attack hosts this edition of the roundtable, where you can find their answers to the questions, and the roundtable roundup later this week.
RTT's midseason ballot, with roundtable questions and answers after the jump:
1. Kentucky Wildcats (22-1, 7-1)
2. Vanderbilt Commodores (17-5, 6-2)
3. Tennessee Volunteers (18-4, 6-2)
4. Florida Gators (17-6, 6-3)
5. Mississippi St. Bulldogs (16-7, 4-4)
6. Arkansas Razorbacks (12-11, 5-3)
7. Mississippi Rebels (17-6, 5-4)
8. South Carolina Gamecocks (13-9, 4-4)
9. Alabama Crimson Tide (13-10, 3-6)
10. Georgia Bulldogs (10-11, 2-6)
11. Auburn Tigers (11-12, 2-6)
12. LSU Tigers (9-14, 0-9)
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Tennessee 79 South Carolina 53 - That was fun.
Devan Downey? He got 26 points, but half of them came at the free throw line, shooting 5 of 20 from the floor. The rest of the team? They got 27.
Wayne Chism? He beat Downey head-to-head, finishing 11 of 17 from the floor, 6 of 8 at the line, 2 of 4 from CHI$$LE! for a career high 30. The rest of the Vols? They added 49, including 11 each from Scotty Hopson and Bobby Maze, and the Vols rolled Carolina by 26 points.
On a night with a lot of things to be worried about coming in - quick turnaround, frustrating play at times in the last two weeks, a general sense that these new Vols had peaked, plus Downey - Tennessee was firing on all cylinders. The Vols beat Carolina in every statistical category - +8 in rebounds, +6 in turnovers forced, +20 in bench points, + 10 in assists - and used both Chism's offense and an outstanding team defensive effort to never let Carolina threaten. The Gamecocks shot only 27.6% from the floor, and the Vols forced them to settle for mostly outside shots (only 7 for 28). Tennessee didn't allow Downey to go off, and didn't let anyone else show up.
More than anything else, this game was fun - the players clearly enjoyed it, and we the fans were reminded of what this basketball team is capable of, and how enjoyable it is when they play that way. The Vols did to Carolina what everyone expected them to do to LSU...but it was much more fun this way, and was a breath of fresh air I think we all needed. This team is still a great story...and it's much easier to remember that when they play this way.
All of these factors are hopefully exactly what the Vols need heading into the most challenging week on the schedule: at Vanderbilt on Tuesday, at Kentucky on Saturday. The Vols are now 18-4, 6-2 in the SEC. And with the win today, no matter what happens on the road in the next seven days, this team has positioned itself well for March. Brian Williams was back on the bench today, and could return to action as soon as Tuesday (if Pearl wants to put his son back on the bench, of course). Tennessee played its best basketball heading into its most important stretch. You couldn't ask for anything more.
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Tennessee Volunteers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks: open game thread
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February 6, 2010 |
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17-4 (5-2)
#14 (AP) #14 (USA Today) |
13-8 (4-3)
NR (AP) NR (USA Today) |
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Jackson the Mule says . . .
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. . . down with Downey!
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Leave your pre-, in-, and post-game thoughts below.
Go Vols! Hulk smash Gamecocks!
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College Basketball - February 6
Whether you're snowed in on rained in, there are several good games on the college basketball slate today, leading up to the Vols and South Carolina from Thompson-Boling Arena at 6:00 PM EST tonight. The majority of SEC teams will hit the halfway point of the conference slate today, as all 12 teams are in action throughout the day today.
If you're watching along today, feel free to use this thread to comment - as always, we'll have the thread for Tennessee and South Carolina up later this afternoon.
All times EST...
- #2 Villanova at #8 Georgetown - 12:00 PM - ESPN
- Mississippi State at Florida - 1:30 PM - SEC Network (split)
- Auburn at Arkansas - 1:30 PM - SEC Network (split)
- #3 Kentucky at LSU - 4:00 PM - SEC Network
- #13 Gonzaga at Memphis - 4:00 PM - ESPN2
- South Carolina at #14 Tennessee - 6:00 PM - ESPN
- Alabama at Ole Miss - 6:00 PM - Fox Sports South
- #20 Vanderbilt at Georgia - 8:00 PM - Fox Sports South
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